Former President Donald Trump, who is seeking a second term as Commander-in-Chief as the 2024 Republican nominee, is preparing to charge one of the highest rates in the world to play one of his golf courses.
On the world-famous Ailsa Course at the Trump Turnberry resort in Scotland, the Trump Organization-related company is set to charge £1,000 per round for non-residents for tee times starting before 1 p.m. local time. That is a nearly 67 percent increase over the similar green fee charged at the same time in August 2024.
After 1 p.m., non-residents will be charged £545, per the X golf account UKGolfGuy. By non-resident, the resort means those who are not guests of the Trump Turnberry resort when booking the tee time.
Some 2025 green fee news.
18 holes on the Ailsa course at Turnberry will cost £1,000 a person for non-residents before 1pm. After 1pm, £545.
In 2013, the year before Trump took over, it was £176 at any time.
I think this is pertinent given what’s proposed at Carnoustie…
1/2 pic.twitter.com/wj7ChYfLYa
— UK Golf Guy (@ukgolfguy) August 11, 2024
In August 2024, the peak non-resident fee before 1 p.m. is £590, with resort guests charged £425.
The Ailsa Course is one of the most famous on the planet and the best-known course of the three at the Turnberry resort, which Trump purchased from Emirati owners in 2014 for $60 million. It has been host to multiple Open Championships, including the 1977 Duel in the Sun featuring Tom Watson against Jack Nicklaus. Watson also nearly won the Open in 2009 at the age of 59 on the same course, losing an aggregate-score playoff against Stewart Cink.
The price increase for next year makes the Trump-owned Ailsa Course one of the most expensive on the planet -- higher than Pebble Beach Golf Links on the Monterey peninsula in California and Shadow Creek in Las Vegas, Nevada.
It is also consistent with the significant green-fee increases seen throughout golf since the sport became more popular during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Courses across the quality spectrum have seen more golfers playing more rounds, and a variety of higher-end clubs and resorts have increased green fees in response to demand. Some courses have increased green fees with the hopes of reducing demand, although that has not proven to be as much of a deterrent as thought.
Additionally, European golf clubs -- particularly those in Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland -- benefit significantly from American travelers who make the overseas trek for golf trips of a lifetime. Americans, who typically travel on a packaged fare for a variety of courses, are accustomed to paying a premium to access world-class clubs, like Turnberry's Ailsa Course. Americans typically subsidize the drastically lower membership costs for locals at these clubs. This is true at Turnberry, where the 2024 annual membership to the resort's golf properties is £3,750, which includes five rounds on the Aisla Course and 12 rounds on the other two courses on property.
